BLACK OUT DAYS | THE WALKING DEAD

arrow on the doorstep/this sorrowful life

Nate, along with Glenn so desperately wanted to go with Rick, Daryl, and Hershel to 'talk' to the Governor but Rick shut down that idea as soon as he saw Nate opening his mouth to ask.

"No." Nate let out a frustrated groan.

"I just don't get why Hershel can go and I can't!" Nate exclaimed as they were loading up the car. "He can barely even walk!" Of course Nate knew why Hershel was going, it made sense even but he still felt the need to complain. Rick threw a look towards the boy and then pulled him away from the others, which Nate tried to protest over and tried to pull his arm out of the man's grasp. He ignored the twinge of pain as he did so and Rick continued to keep a firm grip on it.

"Nate, please. I need you here. Help Glenn and Carl protect the prison. Keep an eye on Merle, make sure he doesn't do anything to jeopardize the group." Nate glared at him as he spoke. This was the same speech he liked to give to Carl to make him stay put. "Your arm still needs to heal-" Nate let out a frustrated groan then.

"My arm is fine!" He snapped, he had turned his gaze to the ground, refusing to look back up. He hated when Rick treated him like this, like he was useless, like he was still a child that didn't know any better. He just went through hell and back and now he was being tossed to the sidelines. The governor had tortured Glenn and Maggie and threw him and Daryl into an arena, expecting them to not come out alive and yet they survived. It wasn't fair that he was still being kept here.

"I'm not taking you with us! If this thing goes south, you have to be here. He could send more of his men again and if that happens, I need you to help protect this place. Please." Nate slowly looked up at him then, still frustrated but he let out a reluctant sigh. Rick looked like he wanted to say something else but Nate pulled his arm out of his grasp and went to stand next to Carol.

goddamn fucking asshole He thought as he watched the car pull away and Carl opened and closed the gate for them.

"Your face is gonna get stuck like that." Carol said as Carl started walking back towards them once the car was out of sight. Nate squinted his eyes at her and she just smiled like she hadn't said anything at all. "Come on." She tilted her head back towards the prison and the three of them walked back inside.

Glenn and the others were checking their weapon inventory and Carl immediately went to reload his gun with bullets and Nate sat down and did the same. Glenn started handing out more bullets and began telling them where they should stash some outside.

"If anyone gets pinned down we need to make sure they have plenty of ammo. I'm going to work on the cage outside." Glenn said, attempting to walk forward before Merle decided to speak.

"What we should be doing is loading this firepower in a truck and paying a visit to the governor." Nate threw a glance towards Glenn. "We know where he is right now."

"You're suggesting that we just go in and kill him?" Nate asked, he wasn't even surprised at this point.

"Yeah I am." He exclaimed.

"We told Rick and Daryl that we would stay put." Michonne told him.

"I've changed my mind, sweetheart. Being on the sidelines when my brother is out there, ain't sitting right with me." Nate ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"The three of them are right in the middle of it. No idea we're coming. They could get taken hostage or get killed." Glenn said. "A thousand things could go wrong." He tried to walk away again but Merle spoke again.

"And they will."

"My dad can take care of himself." Carl replied.

"Sorry, son. But your dad's head could be on a pike real soon." Nate had seen the flicker of worry on Carl's face just before he turned to open the gate back up for Glenn and was wishing they would just lock Merle up in a different cell at this point.